Two Earthquakes Academy players invited to U.S. Soccer National Combine

Two Earthquakes Academy players invited to U.S. Soccer National Combine

U.S. Soccer invited 64 elite players from across the country to participate in the National Combine, designed to build the U-18 Men's National Team pool.

Two current Earthquakes academy players were in the mix, including goalkeeper JT Marcinkowski from Alamo, Calif. and forward Amir Bashti from Cupertino, Calif. Marcinkowski, the Quakes U-16 Academy keeper, recently competed with the squad abroad in the Caspian Cup. Bashti, a midfielder also on the Quakes' U-16 Academy team, has been ranked nationally by Topdrawersoccer.com and led the team to the playoffs earlier this Summer.

The two will travel to Portland for this year's National Combine at Nike's World Headquarters. This five day camp, running from Aug. 9-13, brings the country's elite 15 to 17 year old players together. The combine is an opportunity for the nation's top palyers to be evaluated by National Team staff and scouts from across the country.